Matthew Bittker was an incredibly happy, healthy, vibrant, and active little boy. He suddenly experienced severe leg pain after an amazingly fun, action packed day. Matthew’s life changed completely on Super Bowl weekend 2006, when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Matthew received intense chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, surgery, radiation, antibody therapy, and additional chemotherapy. He seemed to respond very well to the treatment. Shortly after his treatment regiment was completed, we received the devastating news that this insidious cancer had started to grow again. After 18 months, Matthew Bittker lost his battle with cancer on July 20, 2007.

Matthew leaves behind a wonderful legacy. His strength, courage, determination, and humor remain an inspiration to us all. He always found a way to smile and enjoy life despite the obstacles he faced. After Matthew passed away, we established the Matthew Bittker Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity organization, as a living tribute to the warm-hearted boy who touched so many in his short life. The Foundation is dedicated to funding research for Neuroblastoma and other types of pediatric cancer.

Unfortunately, there isn’t enough money being donated to fund pediatric cancer research. Many funding decisions favor proposals based on the number of incidents versus the number of life years saved. We need to help bridge the funding gap, and discover more effective treatments for Neuroblastoma and other forms of pediatric cancer. We need to provide the children hope they can become adults!